Along the River-Martigues, one of Marguerite Thompson
Zorach's first Modernist paintings, is one of the earliest-known
American Fauvist works. Executed in Provence during the summer of
1910, the present work fully integrates Zorach's Fauvist technique,
illustrating her openness to the innovations of the French
avant-garde. She imbues the scene with a flourish of energy, using
simplified, geometric forms outlined in blue, and colored with
vivid, thickly painted, pinks, reds, greens, yellows, blues and
whites.

According to Dr. Patrick Shaw Cable, "[Zorach] executed the work
during a 1910 painting trip to Provence in the company of Jessica
Dinsmoor; from May to June the artists visited Avignon, Saint Rémy,
Provence, Arles, Les Baux-de-Provence, and Marseille and Martigues
on the coast. While the bold outlining and unmodulated color
sections might suggest the French Post-Impressionist style of
Cloisonnism, Marguerite's firmly structured composition brings such
features to an entirely new level. Perhaps the best analogy to her
painting would be a modern work of brilliant stained glass. Even
the white-shirted, blue-trousered sailors are treated as pictorial
building blocks, and bold areas of white and black take on an
expressively coloristic role within a dazzling display" (Modern
American Painting 1907-1936: The Maria and Barry King
Collection, exhibition catalogue, El Paso Museum of Art, El
Paso, Texas, 2013, p. 60).

Condition Report*:

Scattered spots of light dry craquelure; stable surface; under UV exam, there appear to be several small dots and minor flecks of crack-fill inpainting in the lightest shapes, including a C-shape at lower center, as well as an approx. 5 inches horizontal line of inpainting at the upper right extreme edge.
This painting is framed using Optium (museum acrylic glazing), which provides clear legibility for examination with both white light and black light. In order to maintain the integrity and airtight sealing of the housing, the painting was not viewed out of the frame for the condition report. Should you wish to have a more extensive report, we recommend firsthand inspection by a professional conservator. For assistance, please contact the department.

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